Amalgam

Is Amalgam Safe?

The debate over the safety issues surrounding amalgam has been going on for many years. This is our philosophy – amalgam has been used as a material in fillings for hundreds of years with great success. However, it does contain mercury and there is no doubt that as the metal corrodes, mercury is released.

On the other hand, we are exposed to many other sources of background mercury and so it is impossible to tell where it comes from and there has been no definite scientific proof that dental amalgam has caused any adverse effects on the population.

BUT – mercury is a toxin. The jury is out…

What we do know is that there are better materials available for restoring teeth. We believe in the concept of ‘biomimetics’ which is all about mimicking nature, or replacing lost tooth structure with materials which are very similar to the natural structure.

There is nothing natural about amalgam, – and as a metal we now know that it expands and contracts over time and this can lead to stress fractures within teeth – in fact ‘cracked tooth syndrome’ is a recognised diagnosis as a consequence of the amalgam-era.

Many countries in the world have banned amalgam (Norway, Japan) and many more countries no longer teach the placement of amalgam in there dental schools. The UK still does and for the NHS it is still the treatment of choice.

We DO NOT place amalgams at Cherrybank Dental Spa. It goes against our philosophy of utilising the best technology for the best health of our patients. We always look at a plan for removing amalgams as we believe White Fillings are better structural alternatives but we take into account the benefits and risks for the individual – as well as your own concerns about amalgam safety.

Please get in touch with us for a free report on the post-amalgam era.